A fire last Friday that shut down one of three massive concentrated solar power plants in the Mohave Desert was caused when mirrors that focus the sun’s rays on a boiler tower instead locked up and set the tower ablaze.

NRG, which manages the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Plant near the California-Nevada border, said the error was caused by software problems that occurred during regular maintenance.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department said the fire lasted about 20 minutes and damaged pipes and wires about two-thirds of the way up the boiler tower. Plant workers extinguished the fire with handheld fire extinguishers before the fire department arrived.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here